The Porteous Riots of 1736 in Edinburgh, Scotland, were a series of events that culminated in the lynching of Captain John Porteous, the Captain of the City Guard of Edinburgh. The riots were sparked by Porteous’s actions during a public hanging in the Grassmarket, Edinburgh, where he ordered his men to quell a disturbance that led to the killing of innocent civilians.
The riots began on April 14, 1736, when three convicted smugglers, Andrew Wilson, William Hall, and George Robertson, were being executed in the Grassmarket. When the body of Wilson was cut down by a sailor, Porteous reacted by grabbing a musket and firing at the sailor, but unfortunately missed and killed a man standing behind in the crowd. Porteous then ordered the City Guards to fire on the enraged crowd, killing a further five people. The situation worsened, and Porteous and the city guards sought refuge in the City Guardhouse on the Royal Mile.
The Lord Provost of Edinburgh instructed Porteous to call out the entire City Guard and furnish them with powder and shot to prevent the guardhouse from being stormed by the rioters. However, in the ensuing panic, Porteous ordered the City Guard to shoot directly into the mob, which led to the deaths of another six people. Porteous was later arrested and charged with murder, and a majority of witnesses testified that he had personally fired into the crowd on April 14, 1736.
Porteous was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death, but a formal appeal was petitioned to Queen Caroline, who granted a reprieve and deferred the execution. Public resentment grew in Edinburgh when word arrived that Porteous had received a reprieve, and a mob of over four thousand people gathered to lynch him. The mob eventually overpowered the guards at the Tolbooth prison, where Porteous was imprisoned, and hanged him from a dyer’s pole in the Grassmarket.
The events surrounding the Porteous Riots form part of the early chapters of the novel The Heart of Midlothian by Sir Walter Scott (1818), where they are depicted in graphic detail. The riots were caused by Porteous’s overbearing behavior and despised by the underclasses of Edinburgh society. The riots also reflected wider tensions in Scotland at the time, including the struggle for power between the government in London and the Scottish elites, and the resentment of the underclasses towards the ruling classes.
In conclusion, the Porteous Riots of 1736 in Edinburgh were a series of events that reflected wider tensions in Scotland at the time. The riots were caused by Porteous’s actions during a public hanging, and the subsequent panic and violence that ensued. The riots led to the lynching of Porteous and heightened the sense of alarm in London. The events surrounding the Porteous Riots are still remembered in Edinburgh today, and the spot where Porteous died in the Grassmarket is marked by a memorial plate.
